The present invention relates to the field of shoes and foot coverings; more particularly, to athletic shoes providing a unique entry and closure system.
As sporting activities become more performance oriented, the demands placed on sporting equipment become more sophisticated. The technical requirements for athletic shoes used in such events have tended to evolve in lock step with the advancement of such activities. Toward this end, various designs for athletic shoes, and more particularly designs for shoe closure systems have been developed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,866, issued to Prengler on Sep. 24, 1996, illustrates athletic footwear having a hinged rear entry and associated fastening system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,432 issued to Bunch et al. on Oct. 14, 1986 shows an athletic shoe with a lace closure disposed along the side of the shoe rather than in a central location. U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,497, issued to Ciudad on Mar. 14, 1989, describes a sport shoe incorporating a series of flexible strips on the vamp of the shoe connected together with elastic material, providing a lace-less entry system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,882, issued to Berger on Jan. 12, 1993 illustrates a shoe with a central fastener used to secure a rigid instep cover which is drawn to the shoe upper with a series of cables.
In addition to these various closure mechanisms, a number of patents address methods for attaching the shoe upper to the sole. U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,640, issued to Epstein on Jul. 6, 1948, describes a zipper-type closure for attaching different toe enclosing portions of the upper to the sole. A similar system is used in U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,080, issued to Fein on May 7, 1940, to attach the entire upper to the sole of the shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,346, issued to Lockard et al. on Sep. 7, 1965, illustrates a groove and matching, sliding projection system for attaching the upper to the sole portion.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe offering easily adjustable support to the wearer""s ankle. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a means for the wearer to quickly put on and remove the shoe. It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide protection to the wearer""s toes and forefoot from impacts to the upper surface of the shoe. It is yet a further objective of the invention to provide an athletic shoe with a unique and attractive appearance. While the prior art shoes examined provide a variety of useful features, none answer the requirements of the present invention.
The athletic shoe of the present invention incorporates a number of novel features which, taken together, address all of the objectives stated above. The athletic shoe may be constructed from four basic components, a resilient sole, an ankle surrounding section, an instep enclosing section, and a toe section.
The resilient sole portion has a forward end, an after end, an inner edge and an outer edge. The ankle surrounding section begins at the after end of the sole portion and extends forward to a point between the forward end and the after end. The ankle surrounding section defines an opening through which a wearer""s foot is passed.
The toe section extends from the forward end of the sole portion for a first predetermined distance and extends from the inner edge to the outer edge of the sole portion. The toe section defines a cavity into which the wearer""s toes are inserted.
The instep enclosing section has an inner surface, an outer surface, a front end, a rear end, a first edge and a second edge. The instep enclosing section extends from the toe section to the ankle surrounding section. Its first edge is hingedly secured along the outer edge of the sole portion. The instep enclosing section is adapted to swing from a first open position, permitting introduction of the wearer""s foot, to a second closed position in which the second edge of the instep enclosing portion abuts the inner edge of the sole portion. The invention also includes a means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting inner edge of the sole.
In a variant of the invention, the instep enclosing section includes at least one resilient pad. The pad is secured to the inner surface of the instep enclosing section and is sized, shaped and located to bear against the wearer""s instep when the instep enclosing section is in the second, closed position.
In a further variant, the means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting inner edge of the sole portion further includes at least one pin. These pins are attached to the second edge of the instep enclosing section and extend downwardly from it. Each of these pins has a front side and a backside and include a notch of a predetermined size. The notch extends partially into the backside of the pin. The notch is positioned orthogonal to a long axis of the pin.
A retaining chamber is affixed to the inner edge of the sole portion adjacent the second edge of the instep enclosing section. The retaining chamber has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a rear end, and an interior cavity. The rear end has an orifice penetrating it and extending to the interior cavity. The retaining chamber also has a plurality of holes extending from the top surface downwardly to the interior cavity. Each of these holes is sized and positioned to receive one of the pins.
A locking strip having a front end, a rear end, a top surface, a bottom surface, a series of locking teeth is provided. The locking strip is slidably positioned within the retaining chamber and is slidably located on the bottom surface of the retaining chamber. The locking strip is movable from a first, forward locking position to a second, rearward open position. The locking teeth are sized, shaped and located to removably engage the notches of the previously mentioned pins.
The securing means also includes a spring which is sized, shaped and located between the locking strip and the retaining chamber so as to urge the locking strip forward toward the first locking position. A guide block is provided. The guide block has a top surface and a bottom surface and is fixedly attached adjacent the after end of the sole portion. The guide block includes an orifice extending from the top surface to the bottom surface. A release cable is fixedly attached to the rear end of the locking strip and extends through the orifice in the rear end of the retaining chamber and rearwardly along the inner edge of the sole portion and upwardly through the guide block to terminate in a finger loop above the guide block.
When the release cable is pulled upwardly via the finger loop, the locking strip will move rearwardly, compressing the spring, causing the locking teeth to reversibly disengage from the notches of the pins, permitting the instep enclosing section to swing upward to allow the wearer""s foot to be removed. When the wearer""s foot in placed within the shoe and the instep enclosing section lowered so that the pins enter the retaining chamber and the release cable is pulled and released, the teeth of the locking strip will removably engage the notches of the pins to secure the instep enclosing section to the inner edge of the sole portion.
In a further variant of the invention, the spring that urges the locking strip forward to the first locking position is at least one coil spring located between the locking strip and the retaining chamber.
In yet another variant, the spring urging the locking strip forward to the first locking position is at least one flat spring located between the locking strip and the retaining chamber.
In a still further variant of the invention, each of the pins has an upper end and a lower end. The pins taper from the upper end to the lower end so as to control the depth to which the pins will extend into the interior cavity of the retaining chamber.
In a further variant, a series of holes extending from the top surface of the retaining chamber downwardly into the interior cavity are tapered to removably receive the pins attached to the second edge of the instep enclosing section. This taper further controls the depth to which the pins will extend into the interior cavity and thus controls the alignment of the pins with the locking teeth.
In a still another variant of the invention, each of the locking teeth have a beveled front edge to assist in alignment of the tooth with the notch in the pin.
In yet another variant of the invention, each of the notches in the pins are sized, shaped and located to removably engage the beveled front edges of the locking teeth.
In another variation on the athletic shoe invention, the means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting inner edge of the sole portion further includes at least one fastening tab. The fastening tab has a connecting portion and an attachment portion. The connecting portion has an upper end and a lower end. The attachment portion has a first end, a second end, a first predetermined width, a first predetermined thickness, and a front surface. The front surface includes a ridged section and at least one tensioning section. The fastening tab is fixedly attached at the upper end of the connecting portion to the second edge of the instep enclosing section. The attachment portion is fixedly attached at its first end to the lower end of the connecting portion. The ridged section includes at least one ridge extending outward from the front surface. The tensioning section is coplanar with the ridged section at the first end of the attachment portion and displaced from the ridged section at the second end of the attachment portion.
At least one retaining socket is provided. The retaining socket has an open top, a bottom, a first side, a second side, a front surface, an internal cavity and an orifice. The orifice penetrates the front surface to the internal cavity. The orifice has a rectilinear upper edge. The upper edge is sized, shaped and located to removably engage the ridge of the ridged section of the attachment portion of the fastening tab. The retaining socket is fixedly attached adjacent the inner edge of the sole portion. It is sized, shaped and located to permit entry of the attachment portion of the fastening tab.
When the instep enclosing section is moved toward the second, closed position, the attachment portion of the fastening tab will enter the open top of the retaining socket and the tensioning section will be urged toward the ridged section as the fastening tab is lowered. The ridge will slide past the rectilinear upper edge of the orifice and be retained by the edge, thereby closing the instep enclosing section over the wearer""s foot. When the ridged section is pushed inward toward the sole portion and upward pressure is provided by the wearer""s foot against the instep enclosing section, the ridge will pass the rectilinear edge and the attachment portion of the fastening tab will slide upward, allowing the instep enclosing section to pivot upward, allowing the wearer""s foot to be removed from the shoe.
In a further variant, the ridged section of the attachment portion of the fastening tab includes at least two ridges extending outwardly from the front surface. This provides a means for adjustably securing the instep enclosing section over the wearer""s foot.
In another variation, the means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting inner edge of the sole portion further includes a cover. The cover is sized, shaped and located to enclose the front surface of the retaining socket while protecting the rectilinear edge of the orifice from dirt and foreign matter. The cover includes an opening permitting pressure to be applied to the ridged section of the attachment portion of the fastening tab to affect release of the fastening tab from the retaining socket.
In yet another variant, the athletic shoe includes a resilient sole portion having a forward end, an after end, an inner edge, an outer edge. An ankle surrounding section arises from the after end of the sole portion and extends forward to a point intermediate of the forward end and the after end. The ankle surrounding section defines an opening through which a wearer""s foot is passed.
A toe section is provided. The toe section extends from the forward end of the sole portion for a first predetermined distance from the inner edge to the outer edge of the sole portion, defining a cavity into which the wearer""s toes are inserted.
An instep enclosing section is provided. The instep enclosing section has an inner surface, an outer surface, a front end, a rear end, a first edge and a second edge. The instep enclosing section extends from the toe section to the ankle surrounding section. The first edge is hingedly and detachably secured along the outer edge of the sole portion. The instep enclosing section is adapted to swing from a first open position, permitting introduction of the wearer""s foot, to a second closed position in which the second edge of the instep enclosing portion abuts the inner edge of the sole portion.
A means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting outer edge of the sole is provided. When the instep enclosing section is located in the first open position, and the first edge is detached from the outer edge of the sole portion, the instep enclosing section is removed from the shoe.